Guest Editorial- The winds of change.

The 2008 ESRI User Conference, which was held in San
Diego August 2-8 in conjunction with the Survey & Engineering Summit,
painted a distinct picture of some of the major accomplishments in our
industry, along with some of the significant challenges faced by today’s
geomatics professionals.

The scope of these conferences spanned from property boundary and cadastral
surveying to machine control, from mapping the physical environment to mapping
complex facilities, whether a single structure or an entire city. The focus
varied from the details of property line encroachment to the depth of the
database supporting the electronic map.

We heard about how the Arizona Professional Land Surveyors association has
drawn geospatial information professionals completely into its ranks as peers
of land surveyors. This action has reinvigorated the society, which has since
accomplished many wonderful tasks--perhaps most notably the groundbreaking
Spatial Data Accuracy and Georeferencing Standards file, which is now available
on the Internet for anyone in the public or private sector to examine and adopt
(www.azpls.org). This document is a reflection of the Arizona society’s strong statement that
whether we are registered land surveyors or other geospatial data
professionals, we are tied together in a continuum of activities, businesses,
clients, products and services that are similar to many other professions. We
are all geospatial professionals; we all share a common body of knowledge and
yet have a unique knowledge base, as well, depending on our specialty. The most
important truth is that we are colleagues--not antagonists or
competitors.

At the end of the Survey & Engineering Summit plenary session, a panel
discussed some of the issues surrounding machine control with an audience
comprising surveyors, engineers and GIS professionals. The enthusiasm of the participants
was notable−they constantly thought of challenges and potential solutions. They
recognized the low number of young professionals entering the profession of
surveying and worried that the result might be a drastic legislative reaction
that would affect the laws governing the definition of surveying. At the same
time, individuals expressed hope that such open and productive discussions
would encourage the movers and shakers in the profession to further develop
their thinking (and take action) for the benefit of the public and the
profession.

National Geodetic Survey (NGS) Director David Zilkoski presented a talk on the
re-engineering of the NGS. He divided the way the organization’s resources are
consumed into three principal areas: monumentation, models and tools, and
outside capacity. While the overwhelming majority of the organization’s current
work is dedicated to monumentation, Zilkoski indicated that the NGS should
direct future energy toward provisioning models and tools and developing
outside capacity to communicate with end users of the national survey. (The
proposals for how NGS will reconstitute itself can be found at
www.ngs.noaa.gov.)

While Zilkoski’s talk focused on how he and his colleagues are reconfiguring
NGS to better serve the public in the future, it served as a good example of
how all of us should re-evaluate our priorities, reconsider how resources are
allocated and renew our goals--particularly in a time when many of us are being
affected both individually and professionally by factors outside of our
control. Change is often difficult. Leaving the status quo behind can cause
pangs of regret, if not sorrow. But change also presents an opportunity to
engage in introspection and, from that, achieve new growth.

With that thought in mind, I would like to introduce, Christine (Kristi) Grahl
as the new editor of POB. Kristi succeeds Lieca Hohner, who was the editor of
this magazine for the past nine years.

Kristi is an APEX Award-winning writer and editor (www.apexawards.com/apexawards.htm) who has a significant
background in editorial leadership. She has served on a number of BNP Media
publications involved in construction, new products and new technologies,
including titles such as Ceramic Industry, Finishing Today, Process Cooling and
Environmental Design + Construction. She has spent the past 13 years working
closely with engineers and entrepreneurs, helping them share their knowledge
and insights through informative articles. Please welcome her as she ushers in
a new age for POB and, through its pages, new opportunities for you to learn,
evaluate, reposition and grow.

Look for a more in-depth review of
the 2008 ESRI User Conference and Survey & Engineering Summit, along with
Kristi’s first “Editor’s Points” column, in the October issue of POB. You can
reach Kristi directly at
pobeditor@bnpmedia.

Joseph V.R. Paiva, PhD, PS, PE, is CEO of GeoLearn (geo-learn.com), an online education company that will launch this fall with courses for geospatial professionals and technicians, including PDHs for continuing education credit, where applicable. Joe is also a seminar presenter, author and consultant to various types of businesses including surveyors, engineers and attorneys as well as developers and marketers of products for the geomatics industry. Joe can be reached by email at joepaiva@geo-learn.com